Stephen Nedoroscik Pommeled That Horse

PARIS — A confession: The men's pommel horse final wasn't originally on my Olympics to-do list this weekend. I had a ticket to Saturday's gymnastics competition to see Simone Biles's vault, and pommel horse just happened to be included as the final event of the day. Arriving at Bercy Arena, I realized I wasn't the only person with that kind of luck: One fan in my section, clad in Team USA gear, said out loud that they might as well stay for pommel horse. Once again, Pommel Horse Guy delivered.

Before these Olympics, few people outside of men's gymnastics fans knew of Stephen Nedoroscik of Worcester, Mass. But last week his pommel horse performance sealed a team bronze for the U.S. men, their first team medal in gymnastics since 2008. Nedoroscik's calm demeanor throughout the meet, plus those distinct black glasses he removed for his competition, a la Clark Kent, preceded a high score for the win and turned him into an internet darling. He became so recognizable that on Saturday, the USA Gymnastics Twitter account posted a photo of Nedoroscik's glasses on the chalk stand before he competed, and the message was easy to understand: It was pommel horse time.

I knew Nedoroscik's routine scores higher than most and, if he hit it, he had a good chance at medaling. That was the extent of my knowledge. For once, I was flying blind, but I wanted to be able to say I saw Nedoroscik take his glasses off and rest them on the chalk stand in person, which I did. And then I saw this:

The cheers grew louder and louder as Nedoroscik went on. Good sign! When he stuck the dismount, the crowd roared. He turned and pumped both fists in the air. What we didn't hear in the arena, but was caught on TV, was Nedoroscik afterward asking, "Did someone get my glasses?" Moments later, his score flashed—15.300—enough to put him in third place. No remaining gymnast would score any higher, and Nedoroscik got a spot on the podium.

While he waited for his bronze to become official, Nedoroscik donned the U.S. flag like a Superman cape. Call it a hunch, but I'm pretty sure he's seen all the pommel horse memes. He later explained that his coach came up to him and said, "'Stephen, you don't get a flag, you get a cape,' and it legitimately was a whole cape. It was awesome."

Even the competition adores him. When speaking to reporters afterward, the mutual admiration between Nedoroscik and gold medalist Rhys McClenaghan was evident. Nedoroscik said they've been friends for years, and McClenaghan was excited for the opportunity to "run it back" for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

"Also, love the amount of kudos he's getting for the team final results that happened," McClenaghan said. "I loved watching it, and I absolutely love that ... everyone is finding out about Stephen Nedoroscik." The pommel horse newbies and casuals are welcome here.